Nut Free Sesame Pesto Pasta Salad
This Nut Free Sesame Pesto Pasta Salad is your next summer potluck winner. It’s so hot recently, all I’ve been eating is cold noodles. I’m making this refreshing pesto pasta salad for my sister’s dinner party today. It’s so easy to make in bulk, and uses such simple and fresh ingredients. This homemade pesto is also NUT FREE, so you won’t have to worry about nut allergies. Plus, keep basil SUPER GREEN while making homemade pesto with my secret pesto tip!
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Summer Is The Right Time For Pesto Pasta Salad
Is it jus me, or does anyone else crave vegetables in the summer? They just taste so much crunchier and better in the summer. In the heat of the hottest week of summer this past week, I basically ate cold noodles every single day.
For my sister’s pizza party this week, I kept with my cold noodle theme and decided to make an easy pesto pasta salad. Salad dishes make for such a refreshing and easy to make recipe for larger groups. Seeing all the fresh produce at the grocery store today got me so excited to run home and make this delicious pasta salad!
Skip the Pine Nuts for A Nut Free Sesame Pesto
I didn’t have any pine nuts for pesto today, so I decided to use sesame seeds instead. For those allergic to pine nuts, this is a great alternative to use. Of course, it’s not true to an authentic Italian pesto recipe, but the toasted sesame gives a similar fatty, nutty aroma to pine nuts.
You can definitely use pine nuts for this recipe as well. If you choose to use pine nuts, simply double the amount of sesame in this recipe!
How To Keep Fresh Basil Super Green For Pesto
Homemade Pesto is great, but sometimes, you end up with a wilted, brownish green color that just doesn’t look as appetizing. If you ever wonder how restaurants are able to get that beautiful vibrant green color in their homemade pesto, I’ve got the secret tip for you!
The secret? Give your basil leaf an ice bath before making your pesto. This will prevent the basil leaves from turning brown, giving that beautiful bright green pesto color. It only takes an extra 5 minutes – but I find it so worth!
Sesame Pesto Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 12 oz Pasta
- 1 large cucumber
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
- 2 cans of Corn
- 4 stalks Green Onions
Pesto
- 4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 6-8 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup olive oil
- Chop up the vegetables into small chunks.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- In a large serving bowl, add in chopped vegetables and pasta, set aside.
- Put the fresh basil in an ice bath for 2-3 minutes.
- Toast sesame seeds for 3-4 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
- Blend basil, garlic, roasted sesame seeds, salt, olive oil, and parmesan cheese until smooth.
- Add pesto to serving bowl of vegetables and pasta.
- Mix well and serve.
Cool down with more Refreshing Summer Recipes:
Nut Free Sesame Pesto Pasta Salad
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
- 12 oz Pasta
- 1 large cucumber
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
- 2 cans Corn
- 4 stalks Green Onions
Pesto
- 4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 6-8 cloves garlic peeled
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Chop up the vegetables into small squares.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- In a large serving bowl, add in chopped vegetables and pasta, set aside.
- Put the fresh basil in an ice bath for 2-3 minutes.
- Toast sesame seeds for 3-4 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Blend basil, garlic, roasted sesame seeds, salt, olive oil, and parmesan cheese until smooth.
- Add pesto to serving bowl of vegetables and pasta.
- Mix well and serve.
